techniques for keeping distributed retrospectives effective and fun

Distributed Retrospectives

@FadiStephan @ExcellaCohttps://www.flickr.com/photos/mil8/380101976/in/photostream/

While we are waiting for the session to start,

chat with your neighbors:

– Are you on a distributed team?

– How effective are your retrospectives?

– What technique do you use?

Chat with your Neighbors

Retrospective Structure

1. Set the Stage

2. Gather Data

3. Generate Insights

4. Decide What to Do

5. Close

Set the Stage

Prime Directive

Regardless of what we discover, we

understand and truly believe that everyone

did the best job they could, given what they

knew at the time, their skills and abilities, the

resources available, and the situation at

hand

Gather Data

Generate Insights

Decide What to Do

Close

Retrospective Structure

1. Set the Stage

2. Gather Data

3. Generate Insights

4. Decide What to Do

5. Close

How long should a retrospective last?

1. Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable

software.

2. Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes harness change for the

customer's competitive advantage.

3. Deliver working software frequently, from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, with a preference

to the shorter timescale.

4. Business people and developers must work together daily throughout the project.

5. Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need, and

trust them to get the job done.

6. The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a development team is

face-to-face conversation.

7. Working software is the primary measure of progress.

8. Agile processes promote sustainable development. The sponsors, developers, and users should be

able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely.

9. Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances agility.

10. Simplicity--the art of maximizing the amount of work not done--is essential.

11. The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams.

12. At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its

behavior accordingly.

Agile Principles

1. Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable software.

2. Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes harness change for the customer's

competitive advantage.

3. Deliver working software frequently, from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, with a preference to the shorter

timescale.

4. Business people and developers must work together daily throughout the project.

5. Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get

the job done.

6. The most efficient and effective method of conveying

information to and within a development team is face-

to-face conversation.7. Working software is the primary measure of progress.

8. Agile processes promote sustainable development. The sponsors, developers, and users should be able to maintain a

constant pace indefinitely.

9. Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances agility.

10. Simplicity--the art of maximizing the amount of work not done--is essential.

11. The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams.

12. At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly.

Agile Principles

Audio & Video

Not This

Hangouts

One Machine Per Participants

Isolate the Facilitator

Google Docs

IdeaBoardz

Scrumblr

Innovation Games

Structured Retro

https://retro.excella.com

1. Gather data about things that went well

2. Analyze, discuss, and group into themes

3. Gather data about things that need

improvement

4. Analyze, discuss and group into themes

5. Vote on items to tackle

6. Add action items

7. Review

Others

• Trello

• cosketch.com

• linoit.com

@FadiStephan

Resources

Agile Retrospective:

Making Good Teams Great

By Esther Derby and Diana Larsen